After being with us for more than 15 years, it is with both a happy and heavy heart that we say good-bye to Clyde, our “gentle giant” orangutan, as he goes to another zoo to be paired with a female there.

As a result of Clyde’s move, we will be able to have all of our orangutans on exhibit every day here at the San Diego Zoo. We are very happy to be able to do this and expect to see a few changes in our group dynamics with Karen joining Satu, Cinta, and Indah. We believe everything will work out well, but because Karen has been separated from Satu for over a year and a half, there are natural behaviors we will be seeing as they work out their relationship.

As a young male, Satu will be excited to see Karen and will want to breed with her. The sessions can be prolonged in duration, but this behavior is natural and will dissipate with time. It can be uncomfortable to watch; the best thing we can do is let them work out their relationship. Though the tendency will be to interfere, the more we do, the longer and more difficult the process could be. We will be having people there observing, making sure that everything proceeds as planned. We fully expect to have a happy, cohesive group of orangutans!

Another change that we will see is in Satu himself! Satu still has his subadult physical characteristics. Because he was with an adult male, the growth of his secondary male characteristics (cheek pads, long hair, and increase in muscle mass) has been suppressed. We are all excited to see the changes in Satu as he develops into an adult male orangutan and are curious to see how quickly they will happen once Clyde has left.

RELATED POSTS

33 Reader Comments

Paula Wright

Posted May 11, 2011 at 3:57 PM

does that mean we can expect some babies or will karen put him in his place.

nancy from michigan

Posted May 11, 2011 at 4:26 PM

interesting article. I didn’t know that the younger male ‘s adult characteristics would be suppressed because of the older, mature male! it will be fun to watch the changes that are bound to take place. and new breeding brings new babies. do they usually have single births? or possibly twins? I need to brush up on my knowledge of these delightful and funny apes! I love having the HD web cam. before I hardly ever saw anything. it’s fun to see them playing, doing sumersaults, chasing each other, and swinging on the ropes! thanks!

Moderator’s note: We have some good info about orangutans in our Animal Bytes section.

Karen

Posted May 11, 2011 at 5:56 PM

Thank you Tanya for the update on the Orangutans. I love watching them swing going from rope to rope and bar to bar. Will we see little ones in the future and how long is an ape pregnant for?

Moderator’s note: Gestation for orangutans is 8.5 months.

Lee in Vancouver

Posted May 12, 2011 at 9:48 AM

Fantastic blog Tanya. I spent quite a bit of time watching the troup in March and have some great pictures and memories.

Hermine Y.

Posted May 12, 2011 at 10:38 AM

It is going to be sad when Clyde leaves. Any idea when that will happen so we can get one last visit in? Also, where will Clyde be moved to, in case we ever decide to go to that zoo for a visit?

People are bringing up an interesting idea. Will Satu and Karen actually breed together? With Karen’s medical history and heart problems, we were under the impression she was not going to be having babies anytime soon (or if ever). So has that or will that change? Satu and Indah seem to be doing a pretty decent job of practicing for another baby, will she be ready for one soon (especially in Cinta getting older)?

Moderator’s note: For the safety of our animals, we do not publish move dates or destinations–sorry! I”ll forward your other questions to our primate team.

Linda

Posted May 12, 2011 at 1:12 PM

Good luck to you Clyde, and I hope you like your new girlfriend. I am sure she is a real hottie!

Yaron

Posted May 12, 2011 at 8:02 PM

Regarding Clyde’s move. I am sad to see him go. He was one of my favorite friends at the zoo. I read from Hermine Y’s post that you don’t announce destinations. I guess I can understand that, but, after he has moved could you guys at least post a blog comment on his final destination, even if it is a month or 2 after he has moved. I really would like to visit him.

i like what u hav done with the webcam on apes u can c then alot better

Moderator’s note: Thank you!

Tanya Howard

Posted May 14, 2011 at 2:49 PM

Because of Karen’s medical history, she had a tubal ligation, so no babies for her. Currently, Indah is on birth control, and we have no plans for a orangutan birth, but that may change in the future.

Rose N

Posted May 15, 2011 at 9:20 AM

Hi Tanya, It is indeed sad that our “big daddy” Clyde will be moving to another zoo. I will miss seeing him when I visit the orangutan exhibit. Whenever I bring my granddaughter to visit the orangutans, she always says “Clyde looks like a big rolled up rug”.:-) I know that she will miss seeing Clyde too.

I hope, when Clyde acclimates to his new home, he will be very happy with the new love of his life. 🙂

Now, when we visit the orangutans, it will be interesting to see Satu as he develops
into an adult male.

Rose N

Posted May 16, 2011 at 7:29 PM

P.S. Anyone who is interested in seeing “Clyde the rolled up rug”, please see his photo at the following link. 🙂

Sad to read that Clyde will be moving to a new location. Hope that he will like his new home and girlfriend!
Got a new update about Kudzoo and her new baby gorilla on the Atlanta Zoo website. The update on May 13 said that the vets and keepers have determined that Kudzoo’s baby is a GIRL!! So far, everything is going very well for momma and baby at AZ!
Hoping to see some baby orangs soon! Will be watching Satu as he really grows into his new role as the man of the group!
Chari Mercier 🙂
St. Pete, FL

Chari Mercier

Posted May 17, 2011 at 10:31 PM

Rose N., just saw that photo of Clyde, and I agree with your granddaughter! Clyde does look like a rolled up furry rug! I wonder how hairy and furry Satu will get to match Clyde’s hairy rug?? That’ll be fun to watch! Clyde will be missed, but he’s going to have some fun at his new home!
Chari Mercier 🙂
St. Pete, FL

Rose N

Posted May 19, 2011 at 10:43 AM

Thanks Chari, My granddaughter was five years old at the time when she lovingly named Clyde a rolled up rug. 🙂 When visiting the SDZ, her first stop is always the Ape Exhibit to watch the orangutans and siamangs scampering around their beautiful enclosure.

Do you all have any recent pictures of Cinta? I am new to the webcam and when looking i just automatically assume the smallest one is Cinta. I love the area you have for them and they seem to enjoy it as well. We hope to vist your zoo one day! Your cameras are so clear and I love the closeups of the animals!

Moderator’s note: He does indeed need an updated photo. We’ll post one next week.

Andrea

Posted May 20, 2011 at 4:31 PM

I was watching the baby Hippo yesterday when I found out from another avid zoo goer that Clyde had been moved. Enough tears welled up in my eyes that I put my sunglasses back on so that the people around me wouldn’t think I was crazy. You see, Clyde was born the same year as I was and I would make it a point to visit him on my birthday to just sit there and watch him- enjoying his movements (or lack thereof), reflecting on the year past, thinking about the year to come and pondering the similarities and differences between his and my life. I am sure the zoo staff is greatly affected by Clyde’s move but I hope they realize how much his departure means to so many people.
The Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina, Kansas is saying goodbye to one of their male orangutans, Robbie, soon and having an entire day dedicated to him. Was there a send off of this sort for Clyde and I just missed it? It would’ve been so wonderful to have gotten one more glimpse of him in the environment I have enjoyed him in for years.

Moderator’s note: Thank your for sharing your fond memories of Clyde with us, Andrea. We wish him all the best in his new home!

Kenna Nauenburg

Posted May 22, 2011 at 2:24 PM

I noticed that you didn’t include Janey in the list of orangs that Satu would be joining. She’s not going anywhere is she? She’s my very favorite.

Vickie

Posted May 23, 2011 at 12:51 PM

So sad to see Clyde leaving the Zoo. How old is Clyde and how many children has he fathered? Is it possible he might breed with his new mate at his new destination?

Vickie

Posted May 28, 2011 at 9:44 AM

I too am wondering why Janey isn’t listed? Can someone let us know if she is still part of the troop?

Where does the rock area where the apes exit and enter into the yard lead to when they go inside? I have never been to the zoo so I was just wondering. Also is Janey still painting and doing all the other things she loves?

It seems like Satu is enjoying being back with Karen from what I can see on the webcam. Satu seems to never let Karen out of his sight. Cinta ( I think it’s Cinta) seems to enjoy wrestling with Satu as well. He is quite a character and I love to watch him on the jungle gym. Thanks for following the guys on the web cam! My three year old daughter loves watching them especially the Siamangs and Cinta.

Tanya Howard

Posted June 3, 2011 at 9:28 AM

Janey is not going anywhere:) She was already going out with Satu, and that is the reason why I didn’t add her to the list of animals we were introducing to Satu. Only Karen had to be introduced.

Tanya Howard

Posted June 3, 2011 at 9:33 AM

Clyde is 34 years old, and he fathered Satu, our 16-year-old male. He will be with a 34-year-old female, so it is possible that he could have more children.

Tanya Howard

Posted June 3, 2011 at 9:34 AM

The apes enter and exit the exhibit through the stairwells that lead into their bedrooms where they sleep at night. Janey is offered paints, and when she is in the mood, she will paint.

Is Satu protective over Karen. Those two seem unseparable on the webcam. Cinta is very entertaining to watch and loves to wrestle with Karen but then climbs to love on Indah. Such a sweet boy 🙂

Kat

Posted July 2, 2011 at 5:39 PM

I just noticed Hitam Lucu is not on the meet the apes page. Did something happen to her or has she been moved to another zoo?

Primate Team responds: Hitam was transferred to a zoo in Virginia and is living happily with another male siamang.

Kat

Posted July 5, 2011 at 12:24 PM

So happy to hear she’s doing well. Thanks for replying.

Tracie Muilenburg

Posted August 29, 2011 at 7:49 PM

Clyde was my husband and I’s favorite part of the zoo. He was so fun to watch and I got some great pictures of him. We saw him 2 times that day and we loved him.

Penelope mimmo

Posted October 4, 2011 at 3:34 PM

I was fortunate to see Clyde on a trip to San Diego in February. I understand why he was moved, but It saddens me to not know where I can visit him again. Will his whereabouts ever be posted? Thanks.

Moderator’s note: Clyde was moved into a breeding situation at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Salina, Kansas. His successful introduction has been well followed by the media in that state.

Oscar Jonesy

Posted October 15, 2011 at 8:12 PM

Good luck Clyde! Keepers, could you tell me who Karen’s parents are. I like to know as much as possible.

Moderator’s note: Karen’s mother is Karta and her father is Otis. Both parents now live at other zoos.

Oscar Jonesy

Posted October 18, 2011 at 6:50 AM

Ape Cam won’t work on my Apple computer. Why not?
Moderator’s note: Can you view our other Cams (polar, elephant, panda)? What type of problem are you having?

Oscar Jonesy

Posted October 19, 2011 at 7:43 PM

I can only view the Panda Cam. If I try the Polar, Elephant, or Ape Cam, I will only give me one image and go black.

Moderator’s note: Anyone seeing this fade to black on a Mac should be able to work around it by going into the flash player settings and un-checking the “enable hardware acceleration” box. Once you do that you’ll need to restart. Everything should then work fine.

Oscar Jonesy

Posted October 19, 2011 at 7:47 PM

Thank you for responding to my first Ape Cam comment, Moderator.

Comments Closed

Comments are closed. You will not be able to post a comment in this post.